HR swing with 2 strikes

in my limited experience, kids who crowd the plate bail out on inside strikes.

in tryouts last week DD retired a hitter who was crowding the plate -she bailed out on a called 3rd strike (and that was at tryouts where you're trying to look good!)

Mocoso said:

For me telling my daughter to "foul it off if you dont like it" is a way to get her to expand the strike zone on a 2 strike count and swing the bat.. she isnt good enough to choose which pitches to drive and which to foul (if she was she wouldnt be getting into 2 strike situations) - but knowing she can swing even if the pitch isnt "good" helps her mental side...

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I like that idea/attitude.

riseball said:

From the perspective of a PC please choke up and crowd the plate with 2 strikes. Because changing the dynamics of your swing will only make whatever pitch is thrown even more effective. The fact that you probably never practice hitting with a 2" shorter bat means the swing you worked so hard to develop will not be what you use when you need it the most. I also strongly recommend that you crowd the plate since that will make an inside pitch perfectly thrown in the river even more difficult to hit.

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The key I guess would be the practice part and what works best for each individual

For the record, I will state that I do not believe there is any benefit whatsoever in practicing to foul off pitches, nor do I believe that any elite hitter consciously attempts to do it in games, even if they testify otherwise. There might be a point where a hitter for a split second realizes that his/her swing has little chance of making contact and prays for a foul ball, and then thinks, 'Great! I got a piece of it. Still alive!' But I don't believe that major league hitters are making conscious decisions on balls coming 90 mph that 'This isn't quite what I want, so let me poke it foul.'

- Non-believer.

CoogansBluff said:

For the record, I will state that I do not believe there is any benefit whatsoever in practicing to foul off pitches, nor do I believe that any elite hitter consciously attempts to do it in games, even if they testify otherwise. There might be a point where a hitter for a split second realizes that his/her swing has little chance of making contact and prays for a foul ball, and then thinks, 'Great! I got a piece of it. Still alive!' But I don't believe that major league hitters are making conscious decisions on balls coming 90 mph that 'This isn't quite what I want, so let me poke it foul.'

- Non-believer.

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I think it's somewhere in between - especially with the MLB guys, I think that they're not surprised when they foul off a marginal pitch in an 0-2 or 1-2 situation. The old addage "Just get the bat on it" probably applies, and that's what these guys do for a living. I doubt highly that they're praying for a foul ball. Would you really bet against Tony Gwynn? Wade Boggs? Rod Carew? Pete Rose? Miggy or Trout? Or any other elite hitter?

BuckeyeGuy said:

I think it's somewhere in between - especially with the MLB guys, I think that they're not surprised when they foul off a marginal pitch in an 0-2 or 1-2 situation. The old addage "Just get the bat on it" probably applies, and that's what these guys do for a living. I doubt highly that they're praying for a foul ball. Would you really bet against Tony Gwynn? Wade Boggs? Rod Carew? Pete Rose? Miggy or Trout? Or any other elite hitter?

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Would you really bet against ...Pete Rose.

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Funny.....I would bet with Pete.

I don't think there is any thinking in the box but reacting correctly after years of practice.

BuckeyeGuy said:

I doubt highly that they're praying for a foul ball.

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When they walk into the batter's box, no. When they've committed to a swing and there's no going back and the pitch has fooled them? Sure.

Funny how this conversation has evolved, but back at the beginning when the conversation was basically that a good hitter should use one swing and that is her/his best swing in all cases. I watch Miguel Cabrera a lot, being a tiger fan I probably catch 120 games a year on TV. He uses several different swings, depending on his health, the pitcher and the count. He has everything from a full stride to just picking up his heel and setting it back down. He will toe touch and then stride, he will stay grounded and just transfer his weight...

I remember Rod Carew saying that he has different approaches and swings for different pitchers, because different pitchers have different approaches to him. How can you treat Nolan Ryan the same as a Gaylord Perry?

Your dd already has different swings, she is probably good at a couple of them you just don't realize it. But when she takes that outside pitch and puts it into Right, that swing is different then the one she takes from the inside of the plate and crushes it to left.

My mind has totally changed. Thank you Domingo for clearing it up!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P6EhCJXOug